mAdhoUsE
by RevalisPyross
Summary: Everyone is afraid of the nightmares that haunt them. Natsuki is trying to make sure that hers don't find her, but everyone at the asylum knows that it's just all in her head. Isn't it? *Violence alert* -Hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

**mAd hoUsE**

**ArTwOrK**

Author's Note: I've had this sitting on my computer for a couple of months now, slowly forming while I concentrated mainly on The Devil's Throne. I'm planning to alternate the updates for the two fictions unless there's a demand that I focus more on TDT or just not much interest in this fic. And yup, I couldn't resist the valley girl accent; I think Aphrodite from X:WP finally got to me. XD

**Warning:** There will be some violence in this fic and I'm going to try to make things as twisted as possible (I hope), so if that really isn't your sort of thing then that's okay, read something else and enjoy it. But if you're going to continue reading then I hope you enjoy this too!

**Disclaimer: Everything but the idea belongs to Sunrise, so don't sue me 'cos I'm poor and a nice person. ^-^**

_Hey, biker babe, you've missed a spot._

"I know," the woman growled, furrowing her eyebrows as she regarded her masterpiece that was illuminated by the candle light. "For something that's so important, it's a bit boring."

_That's because it's, like, all red, duh!_

"Shut up, idiot! You know that it's the only colour I have!" she barked as she picked up the knife on the table beside her. She winced as she slashed across her wrist again, deepening the wound that was already dripping with blood. She quickly dropped the blade so she could catch the red liquid in the palm of her other hand. When she was satisfied with the amount, she slapped the blood on the wall and began to spread it in a child-like fashion.

_If you used paint like __**normal**__ people, instead of blood, which is like so totally 'eww', we wouldn't be having this conversation._

She rolled her eyes.

"If I was ignorant, like **normal** people, we wouldn't be having **any **conversations. And I thought that you said blood made it more powerful?"

_Oh yeah, I did. Oopsie, I forgot!_

Needing more of her life's nectar, she grasped her wrist and squeezed, digging her fingers into the wound as she did so. Her head snapped back as she whimpered, her vision blurring as tears leaked from her eyes. She released the pressure from her wrist, pausing momentarily before she drew her attention back to her plaster canvas.

"Are you sure it'll keep those things away?"

_It should do. But if it doesn't work, then it's your fault for being, like, a complete imbecile._

"Oi! I'm doing a damn better job than you could!" she protested with a pout as she smeared some more blood on the wall. It quickly disappeared to turn into a grimace at the sound of the opening door. "Shit. I forgot about her."

"Hi Natsuki, I hope you're hungry because I've got some-," Alyssa halted in her tracks as detected the state the woman was in and her bloody artwork. Her eyes slowly widened as she realised what was coating their living room wall. She dropped the bag that she had been holding and raised her shaking hand to cover her mouth. "Oh… my… god."

The artist coldly stared at the blonde before turning back to the wall and continuing her work. The younger woman stood there for a few moments, staring at the symbol that was painted onto the wall.

The main outline was V-shaped with the ends extending at the bottom and curving away from the centre. At the middle of the V was a circle that was bordered by two horizontal lines running through the V, barely touching the circle's diameter. The image would have been an example of perfection if there hadn't been a few trails of blood where gravity had taken hold.

Then her gaze drifted onto her sister, who was wearing nothing but a determined expression. If not for the blood that covered her, Alyssa would have known that something was wrong just because of her lack of clothing. Natsuki was such a modest person that the only time she ever showed skin was when she wore a bikini and that was only when the weather was really hot.

"N-N-Natsuki, why are y-."

"Leave me alone. It needs to be finished."

"But-."

"Damn it, Alyssa! Shut up!" Natsuki roared as she spun round, pointing the knife directly at her sister. Alyssa flinched at the action and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. This was not because of the knife, which was held in the bloodied woman's hand metres away, but the scorn held in Natsuki's gaze. "Get out."

The blonde backed away slowly and Natsuki gained a neutral expression when Alyssa reached the door. She lowered the knife down to her side, but her fingers twitched in what looked like anticipation. Alyssa scurried into the hallway and shut the door behind her before she ran into the kitchen. Grabbing the phone that was hanging on the wall she quickly punched in a number.

"Hello, Emergency Services. How may I-."

"Please help me! She's got a knife and she's bleeding and naked and I don't know what to do and I think she's gone crazy and-!"

"Miss, please slow down. What exactly is the situation?"

"My sister's gone psycho and she's bleeding to death!"

"Okay Miss, no need to shout," the woman on the other end of the phone replied snootily. Alyssa felt a strong sense of resentment towards her even through her panic. "I'll send an ambulance and police right away. What is your address?"

*****

_That wasn't very nice, biker babe._

"She would have got in my way."

_You totally mean you don't want her to get involved._

"Isn't that the same thing, Hikari?" Natsuki retorted, shaking her head as another dizzy spell overcame her. It was getting hard for her to remain standing for some reason, but once she finished the symbol she could rest.

No reply. The blue haired woman shrugged and continued what she was doing, used to the seemingly whimsical appearances and withdrawals of the voice. It scared the living daylights out of her when she first heard the ditsy valley girl voice first introduced herself inside her head, but now it was hard to imagine living without the secondary, and sometimes annoying, opinion.

"Soon," she breathed as she filled in the last patch. "We'll be safe soon."

At her words the symbol began to shimmer, halting her actions. She watched in wonder as the blood diverged from the wall and floated to the middle of the room while maintaining its shape. The symbol began to spin, slowly rotating at first before picking up speed, flecks of blood escaping the formation to spray the area around it. Natsuki's eyes widened as she realised that the area of the spray was increasing as the symbol spun faster and she pressed herself into the corner, suddenly desperate to keep the red substance away from her.

"No," she moaned, but the symbol carried on relentless of her cries. The green eyed woman screamed as the blood hit her skin, burning her like acid as she clawed at her flesh in panic. Soon she was covered head to toe in blood as she writhed against the wall, the knife clattering to the floor as she forgot about it in her distress.

The pain became unbearably intense as the red liquid seemed to be absorbed by her skin and she gagged as the metallic taste filled her mouth. Memories that she kept locked away in the deep recesses of her mind flared in front of her and even when she clenched her eyes shut she could not get away from the vivid scenes that were being replayed.

"No! Don't make me go back there! I'm warning you, keep them away from me!... I didn't know! I'm sorry!... I hate you!... Kamiko!" she shrieked as she slid against the wall down to her knees. She plunged her head towards the wall, the impact rattling her teeth as her forehead struck against the plaster. The vision blurred to her delight and she used the moment of her rebound to repeat the action again. And again. And again.

When Alyssa rushed into the room, she gasped at the sight of her sister pounding her head into the adjacent wall to the symbol, smearing it with blood from the gashes on her forehead and wrists.

"Stop it Natsuki!"

Without checking to see if the blue haired woman still had her knife the blonde dove at her, tearing her away from the wall before Natsuki could have another attempt at bashing her brains out. Natsuki struggled in Alyssa's embrace, but she was now too weak to push her away. Eventually she allowed herself to give up the fight and slumped with fatigue, resting her chin on Alyssa's shoulder as the world swam in front of her eyes. She could feel her sister bury her face into her hair as they rocked back and forth, dimly aware of the sound of sirens in the background.

"Hey kiddo," Natsuki slurred through the sounds of Alyssa's sobs and the pounding of the front door. "Can you promise me something?"

"What?"

_**Crack!**_ The front door smashed open and heavy boots came thudding into the hallway, raised voices calling to one another as the intruders began to search the house.

"If any of the symbol wears off, can you patch it up for me from time to time? Knife slashes sting like a bitch, but it's necessary. Promise?"

"What?" Alyssa gave her a look of horrified disbelief.

"Promise me that you'll never let it fade. Promise me!"

"I-I can't."

Natsuki glared at her sister in anger as people in black Kevlar vests thundered into the room. Guns pointed at them as Natsuki limply swung her head to face them, blood running into her eye because of the change of angle.

"What do you want? I thought I told you jerk-offs to get lost the first time," she spat at them, roughly pushing Alyssa away from her as she staggered onto her feet, causing the team of police to raise their guns. A particular young man was torn between copying his colleagues and averting his eyes away from the naked flesh, so he ended up doing both.

"Stop right there, Kuga Natsuki," a deep voice bellowed as an aging man stepped forth into the room. He was a tall, broad and handsome man in his early fifties with kind hazel eyes and greying black hair. His flash of surprise crossed his face when he had the blue haired woman in full view, but it was quickly replaced by an unfathomable mask of professionalism. "A lot has changed in such a short time, I see."

"What would you know about it, _sir_?" Natsuki managed to sneer before her eyes rolled back to her head and her legs gave out. A couple of police officers began to approach the passed out woman before they were halted by their senior officer.

"Go and get the paramedics. They're waiting outside." The officers nodded as they followed his orders and backed outside. The man sighed as her glanced at Natsuki before settling his gaze on her sister who had remained on the floor where she had been pushed. He trod carefully around the collapsed bloody figure and squatted down so he could be eye level with Alyssa. He could clearly see that she was trembling and seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Alyssa-chan," he whispered softly as he rested a comforting hand on her arm. Alyssa drew her eyes slowly up to meet his own and recognition sparked within them.

"Kimihara-san?" Her voice was hoarse as she spoke his name. He smiled gently and soon he had a pair of arms wrapped around his waist as the young woman began to sob into his shoulder.

"Why? Why did this happen?"

"I don't know," he replied truthfully as he looked back at his former colleague. "I just don't know."

*****

**A couple of weeks later...**

Natsuki thrashed against the bonds that tied her to the bed, screaming at the group of three nurses that rushed around her as one of them darted forwards and injected a sedative into the IV line.

"Let me go! Get it out of me! The symbol safe! Burrrrrrns!"

_Whoa, chill out ice chick or else you're going to end up with a bad case of bed hair when you wake up._

"Shut up, you dumb blonde!" Natsuki roared, causing the nurses to jump and look around to see who exactly she was screaming at. The blue haired woman's movements became less erratic as she the sedative began to make her drowsy.

_Oh my God, I can't believe you just said that! You are like so stereo-typing me! I don't have a corporal form, but if I did I would sooo be a brunette. Okay, so I might have a few honey blonde streaks so that I look super-cute, but that wouldn't make me a total blonde, right?_

"I don't care. Just... shut... up..." were the last words that escaped the blue haired woman's mouth before they were replaced by soft snores. The nurses surrounding her almost cheered out of relief but were restrained by the fear that they'd wake their patient up, even if she was drugged up enough to knock out a horse.

A couple of doors away, Alyssa sat with constable Kimihara as a psychiatrist known as Dr Sagisawa Youko asked her some questions. The burgundy haired woman wore a serious expression that flickered into a small yet friendly smile whenever the blonde hesitated or was obviously upset about something.

"So you say that your sister has been acting strangely for a while. In what way has her behaviour changed?"

"Well," Alyssa began, glancing at Kimihara who nodded encouragingly, "She's been drifting from job to job, security work at bars mostly, and keeps getting fired for starting fights rather than breaking them up. She's become more withdrawn and agitated than normal; I hardly see her anymore and we've always been so close, not to mention we live in the same house. When I do get to see her she just ignores me and mutters to herself. But what I'm most worried about is... it's like she's forgotten how to smile."

"And how long has this been going on?" Youko inquired with a frown, tapping her pen against the notebook she held in her hand. She had a bad feeling about this. "A rough estimate is fine if you can't remember the exact length of time."

"I noticed it about eight months ago. I had just come back from America, which was the last place me and my friends went during our gap year before we started university, and I could tell straight away that there was something different about her. She seemed... distant. I asked her repeatedly if anything was wrong but she said that everything was fine. But it's not fine. Nothing is **fine**."

Alyssa clenched her fist and slammed it down onto the arm rest of her chair, her eyes tightly shut to avoid any more tears from spilling. Youko bit her lip as she could see the anguish in the young woman, but she needed to ask a few more questions in order to get the older Kuga sister on the road to recovery.

"Are you aware of any mental illnesses within the family, such as... schizophrenia?"

"Schizophrenia?" Alyssa repeated before sending a hard look at the psychiatrist. "You think my sister has **schizophrenia**? Is that what you're suggesting?"

"It's just a routine question that I ask all my patients if there are any serious disturbances within their mental health, I wasn't saying-."

"It may be a routine question, but I can tell by your tone of voice that you think Natsuki could be a schizophrenic."

"We won't know until we have her under observation. Now could you please answer the question?" Youko said curtly. Alyssa glared at her before responding with a bitter tone.

"I don't know. Our parents died in the 9/11 attacks when they were on a business trip and they lost contact with the rest of our family when they ran away together. It's just us."

"I see... It does makes things more difficult when we put her into our establishment, but we'll do all that we can to make sure that she returns to society as soon as possible."

"Wait. What do you mean by 'put her into our establishment'? Where are you taking Natsuki?" Alyssa demanded with alarm. Youko sighed as crossed her legs. This was the difficult part.

"I'm afraid that the state of Natsuki's mental health has caused her to be a risk to the public. She has already harmed herself and has threatened to do the same to you. Because of these actions she is to be placed within Fuuka's Mental Institution for Young Women so we can fully diagnose and treat her before she can hurt anyone else."

"No! You can't do that!" Alyssa yelled at Youko before turning to Kimihara, tears shimmering in her blue eyes. "Tell her she can't do that!"

"I'm afraid the court order has already been released. She goes tomorrow. I'm sorry Alyssa-chan," he sombrely replied with sadness in his eyes. Alyssa shook her head as she leapt away from the seated pair.

"You can't take her! She's my sister and I've got to look after her, like she's always looked after me! You... can't..." the blonde's voice cracked as tears streamed down her face. She spun around and darted out of the room to sprint down the hall. The officer began to rise after her, but Youko reached over and put a hand on his arm.

"Leave her be. She needs to calm down before she can begin to come to terms with it."

Kimihara looked down at her in defiance before he let out a defeated sigh, knowing that the psychiatrist was right. Although Natsuki and Alyssa seemed very different on the surface, the sisters could be very much alike and how they dealt with distressing situations was one of those things. He sat down and rubbed his hand across his face before fixing his gaze on the burgundy haired woman.

"I just care about them so much, doc. They are the daughters that I never had, even after Natsuki left."

"What made Kuga-san quit the police force?" Youko questioned, watching carefully as the older man's face darkened.

"Trouble."

*****

**Twenty months earlier...**

"I want him released!" Natsuki yelled, slamming the palms of her hands against Kimihara's desk. The man tossed down his reports and combed his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"You know I can't do anything it Kuga. All the evidence points to him and there's nothing that proves otherwise."

"But Takeda wouldn't do that! He's a good man, an idiot and a bit of a pervert sometimes, but he's still a good man. Give me another chance to prove that he's been framed!"

"Kuga, he goes on trial in less than an hour. We've spent the past week searching for any signs of a set up and we haven't come up with anything that doesn't go against him. We can't do anything else."

"Bullshit! You know as well as I do that he didn't murder that woman; he doesn't have the guts to hurt a fly even if he wasn't in love with her!" the blue haired woman growled.

After dodging Takeda's attempts to ask her out on a date for many years, Natsuki finally got to like the guy when he stopped chasing her and met a woman called Chiyo. She was a sweet woman who could put up with Takeda without trying to hurt him and even loved him in return, which the cop was thankful for, not only for herself but for Takeda also.

But everything went horrifically wrong when a couple of fisherman found Chiyo's body washed up on the nearby beach four weeks ago. Her corpse held fourteen stab wounds and on further examination she had been heavily drugged before the murder took place.

It didn't take long for Takeda to become the main suspect as he had no alibi and the knife that had been used to stab her held his fingerprints, even though claimed to have used it the night before when he prepared a romantic meal at Chiyo's flat. It didn't help matters that the neighbours had heard the pair arguing during this romantic meal, which Takeda had said that it was because he wanted to meet the woman's parents.

Natsuki had been desperately searching for any clues of who may have set him up; even if she didn't know Takeda personally she would have been suspicious as everything neatly pointed to him and no one could be idiotic enough to not try to cover their tracks, even if they were panicking. She had a few suspicions about who actually murdered Chiyo but didn't have any concrete evidence to support it, however she wasn't going to let an innocent man go to prison for something he didn't do. It wasn't justice and certainly wouldn't be what Chiyo would've wanted.

"Natsuki, listen to me," Kimihara said quietly but with authority. "I know that he didn't do it and I tried to hold off the trial for as long as I could, but the higher authorities want the case closed and they don't understand why I've tried to hold it up for so long. The only thing we can do now is hope that the court will see his innocence and give him a smaller sentence."

"No, it's not good enough," the woman retorted through gritted teeth. "I don't give a damn what the higher authorities want, they can go to Hell for all I care, but I'm tired of seeing people being convicted for crimes they didn't commit. Of course it's great when we catch someone who is actually guilty, but those times are becoming scarce and I'm becoming tired of all this shit."

"What are you trying to say?" the older man asked calmly although a sense of trepidation had settled in his stomach. Natsuki removed her badge from her pocket and chucked it onto the desk.

"I quit," came the simple reply, but Kimihara felt like she had just punched him in the stomach although he knew that it wasn't personal.

"Now wait a second, don't you think you're being a little rash? Why don't you wait until tomorrow when the trial is over before you make decisions like that?" he pleaded with her, knowing that she was likely to have calmed down by then and thought things through.

"What's the point? I know when I'm through and believe me, I'm through," Natsuki declared before striding out of the office, pausing at the door before she left for good, wearing a small yet grim smile. "Don't worry; I'll call you in a couple of days. I know you tried and I'm not going to hold this against you. Now excuse me, but I've got a trial to attend."

And with that she was gone. A few hours later, it was announced that Takeda Masashi had to serve a life sentence for the murder of Murusa Chiyo. Kimihara knew that it'd be more than a few days it'd take Kuga to phone him. He was right.

*****

Alyssa brushed aside the nurse's warnings and stormed into Natsuki's room, flinging herself across the foot of the bed as she cried. The older sister was deeply asleep and didn't react to her presence, which may have been a good thing as Alyssa was painfully aware of. The blonde spent several minutes getting as many tears as she could from her system before she attempted to speak.

"Why? Why has it come to this? I should never have left you alone for so long... I should have never left you at all," Alyssa wept as she grabbed the sleeping woman's hand. Her breathing hitched as Natsuki squeezed her hand back in response and looked up to see that the woman was still soundly asleep.

"Alyssa... hide..." she murmured so softly that the blonde only just heard her. She frowned as she wiped away her tears, wondering if this was the insane Natsuki speaking or the one who looked after her during her teenage years.

"Hide? Why? What do you mean?" However Natsuki did not say anything else and Alyssa had to assume that it was her crazy side talking, but she couldn't be sure as there was no mention of the symbol. She continued to watch her sister and noticed how serene she appeared, although her personality was nothing like that even before she left to travel around the world.

"What happened sis? Please... tell me what happened," she whispered. She didn't get an answer.

**Omake**

Alyssa: Yes! I'm not insane in this story!

Takeda: And I'm not a bastard! And Kuga _likes_ me! *Goes dreamy eyed as a massive smile on his face.* Does this mean I get a chance with her later in the story?

Natsuki: Hell no! Revalis, you're already in trouble for making me a deranged naked psycho and sticking me with a bimbo that only I can hear, but if you even _think_ about making me date Takeda I'll make sure that you can never write again!

Revalis: *Laughs uneasily.* Good one Natsuki, but I wasn't going to do that anyway. That was the last time Takeda makes an appearance in this fiction.

Takeda: Ohhhh~. *Sulks before disappearing in a puff of smoke.*

Shizuru: Excuse me Revalis-san, but when do I come into this story?

Nao: And me!

Revalis: *Frowns.* Who says you are?

Shizuru: *Raises eyebrow and the temperature drops.* Are you trying to say that there is no ShizNat in this story? Ara...

Nao: *Grabs Revalis's t-shirt.* I'd better be in this because I want to do something other than be that viper's side-kick! I still can't believe you stuck me with her in the first place.

Revalis: Alright, alright, you'll be in the next chapter.

Natsuki: Wait a minute, if I'm going to be put in an asylum, does that mean...? *Looks at Shizuru and Nao as she gulps.* Why do I get the feeling that it's going to be like the anime again but worse?

Hikari: You are way too negative biker babe. What you need is, like, some retail therapy. I know this totally awesome shoe store that has the cutest pair of heels you've ever seen and...*Blathers on.*

Natsuki: *Groans.* I should just shoot myself now...


	2. Chapter 2

**ThE plAcE WhERe tHe NUtS HuNt thE sQuIrRels**

Author's Note: I haven't updated this (or anything else) in a while, but this has turned out to be quite a long chapter so I suppose that makes up to it, although I really dislike it (which is why it took so long to write). Hmm... Maybe I should just stick to TDT? The title was ripped off a song from Napoleon XIV's album 'They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!'.

BTW: A massive thank you goes to LittleDemonInside for beta reading this chapter; you're awesome! :3

Interpretation of Hikari's Valspeak (as found on Wikipedia):

Trippendicular: Awesome, but can also be used to describe a drug high. (I'm using the former meaning, but I may use the alternative in a later chapter.)

Grody to the max: As disgusting as one can possibly get.

Tubular: Very cool. (No, it doesn't have anything to do with Smarties® tubes.)

**Disclaimer: Own Mai HiME? Moi? Most certainly not!**

"_This is Sagisawa Youko starting a new tape at… number one hundred and sixty-eight. First note is for Midori because I know you listen to these: no, I'm not going to start using an i-pod or some other modern device for my vocal recordings and no way am I going to sell this thing on e-bay. I don't care if it makes me look old-fashioned; it's still working perfectly fine and I like not being forced to sit in front of a computer while listening to my notes, so you can quit trying to sabotage it._

_Second note is regarding Kuga Natsuki, patient reference number five zero two three seven. I removed her from the hospital three days ago and had to instantly put her into isolated quarters due to attempted violence against self and members of staff. I've repeatedly tried to communicate with her but have had no breakthroughs__ to comment on as of yet. The lacerations on her wrists are horizontal, not vertical, suggesting that she had no conscious intentions of killing herself; being in the homicide division would have had least taught her the most effective way of committing suicide… Another interesting, yet possibly irrelevant, observation is that the afore-mentioned lacerations are recovering better than they should be; although she had managed to reopen her wounds, the last time I checked them they appeared to be well on their way to recovery; I wonder if they will leave a noticeable scar at all, even though the damage she did to them were quite messy... It will also be important for me to find out what she did during her sister's vacation; she had minimal contact with friends and former colleagues and even went missing for four months shortly before Alyssa-san's return. No one knows where she went and Kuga apparently refused to answer questions regarding the subject. Could her disappearance have anything to do with her current state?"_

**Twenty months earlier...**

"I'm home!" Natsuki yelled as she opened the front door to be met by a set of pink eyes staring at her. The blue haired woman gave a small startled noise before a friendly smile spread on her face, "Oh, hi Miyu."

"Kuga-san," the teenager returned with a nod although her neutral expression never changed. Natsuki's smile turned into a smirk, unfazed by what many people would call an attitude problem. She was aware that Miyu had suffered abuse through much of her childhood and it had consequently caused her to almost permanently wear a mask, which Natsuki had been lucky enough to see break due to her sister's company.

"How many more times must I tell you to call me Natsuki or at least drop the -san in Kuga? Calling me Kuga-san makes me feel old."

"Alright... Kuga," Miyu agreed, her lips almost twitching into a smile. Natsuki gave her a wink before Alyssa came bounding down the stairs with her hair tied into a pony-tail and a suit case in her hand.

"Natsuki!" she cheered as she dropped her case and jumped into her sister's arms as soon as she had reached the bottom. "I was so worried that you wouldn't be back in time to see me off! How did the job interview go?"

"Yeah, it went great... What do you mean, see you-," Natsuki's brow scrunched up in confusion before her eyes widened and a pout appeared on her face. "Oh! You're leaving for China today, aren't you? Ah geez, I had it my mind that it was next Tuesday."

"It's because you don't want to get rid of me," Alyssa replied with a teasing grin, although they both knew that it was true.

The blonde and her friend had just completed school with flying colours with all A's between them, so the two had planned a year of travel during their gap year before they went into university. Most students wouldn't be able to afford to go away for the entire year, but Alyssa's share of inheritance from her parents had been left untouched and it allowed her to buy them both a trip a of a lifetime. Miyu had protested about Alyssa paying for her ticket and insisted that she raised the money herself, but the younger Kuga had rightly pointed out that she could never raise enough in time. The blonde had guilt-tripped Miyu into accepting by saying that she would be really disappointed if she didn't go, yet wouldn't be able to bear spending such a long length of time without her best friend.

Natsuki had been reluctant about the whole trip at first, but the woman had been forced to grudgingly agree at the force of her little sister's incessant arguments. She had been reminded repeatedly that both girls were of the age where they were considered adults and had the reassurance that they would have support from the organisation that had arranged the fine details of the trip if needed. The deal was sealed when she gained a promise from Alyssa that she wouldn't come home carrying the next generation of Kuga.

"Of course I don't want you to go; who's going to moan at me to clean the house and complain about my cooking while you're gone?" Natsuki playfully responded, tightening the hug before she let go of her sister and gave her ponytail a small tug. Alyssa tutted as she slapped the woman on the shoulder before re-adjusting her hair, shooting Natsuki an evil look all the while.

"I'm sure that you will find yourself a good-looking woman to do that and _more_ while I'm away."

"Oi, don't think perverted thoughts!" Natsuki reprimanded as a blush spread over her cheeks. She still thought of Alyssa as a child and it was strange to hear her hinting at such adult things when Natsuki sometimes had difficulty vocally expressing herself on those particular subjects. Alyssa rolled her eyes, but before she had time to retort a car horn went off outside.

"That will be the taxi," Miyu stated, picking up Alyssa's case and heading towards her own that was standing neatly by the door. Natsuki side-stepped so that she blocked the pink eyed teen and stuck out her hand in front of her.

"You're not leaving until you say goodbye to me first," the blue haired woman growled with a threatening tone, wearing her steely gaze that had often made both cops and criminals swear she was death itself. Miyu looked back at her coolly for a long moment before accepting the out-stretched hand to give a firm shake. Natsuki suddenly pulled her closer and gave her what had to be the most awkward hug ever to be performed by two women.

Alyssa shook her head as she thought how often she had seen this interplay between two guys, often between a protective father and his daughter's boyfriend, in films and even in real life. She grinned as she thought how easily Natsuki fit the role of a parent and she blushed when she thought of Miyu being her 'boyfriend'.

After a couple of seconds they broke away, both adverting their gazes and blushing at the unusual show of affection. Miyu quickly picked up the case she had dropped, side-stepping around the woman to stand near the door.

"I shall see you when we get back, Kuga."

"Okay, have a safe trip and have fun. Remember, if anyone gives you or my sister grief, make sure they receive a world of pain!" Natsuki said as she held up her fist. Miyu solemnly nodded and a second later she was walking down the garden path towards the taxi, both suitcases in her hands. Natsuki bit her lip and turned to her smiling sister.

"And err… make sure she doesn't kill anyone, okay?"

"Oh yeah, like you've just made my job easier now you've told her that," Alyssa sniggered. "She's already as protective as a mother bear over me."

"Hmm, is it too late to get myself a ticket? I still don't like the thought of the two of you out in the big wide world by yourselves. You might get into trouble."

"Ha! You're more likely to get us _into_ trouble than _out_ of it!"

"Oi! I'm not _that_ bad!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say sis. Now are you going to say goodbye or do I have to leg it out of the door before you decide to bolt me in?"

"Ya know, that's not a bad idea…" Natsuki mused until another slap hit her shoulder and she burst out into chuckles. "Come 'ere."

Natsuki spread out her arms out wide before enveloping her sister, nuzzling the blonde hair with her nose before resting her chin on her shoulder. Alyssa smiled at how the blue haired woman was being more affectionate than usual, so much so that Natsuki's pride was probably writhing in pain, knowing that it was because she'd soon be leaving.

"I'm going to miss you," the blonde murmured.

"Yeah, me too. Come back to me, okay?"

"I will," she replied, suddenly realizing why Natsuki was so apprehensive about letting her go. Their parents had promised that they'd take them to ice skating when they came home, but that was the last time they ever saw them. The day those planes crashed into the World Trade Centre was the day Natsuki became responsible for the younger sibling. Alyssa was the only thing she had left in the world.

"Promise me?"

"Of course."

"Good... I think Miyu wants to leave now judging from the massive frown plastered on her face."

"Then I'd better leave before we have to chase the plane down the runway," Alyssa said as she pulled away. "Take care of yourself."

"The same goes to you," Natsuki wore a serious expression as she drilled her gaze into blue eyes. "I love you sis."

"I love you too. Goodbye Natsuki."

"Goodbye," the blue haired woman replied with a hushed voice as Alyssa walked down the garden path. She stood at the door until both girls were in the taxi and had vanished around the street corner, waving and giving sad smiles whenever either of them turned around.

A few long moments after they had gone, Natsuki found herself grabbing a cold beer from the fridge and dumping her blouse on the kitchen counter before heading to the lounge in the vest top she had worn underneath. Already the house felt empty and devoid of life, but it wasn't her way show that she was bothered by it, even if there was no one around to see what she deemed a weakness.

She collapsed onto the sofa, groaning when she saw that she was too late in spotting the blinking light of the answering machine from the opposite side of the room. She correctly guessed that Alyssa and Miyu had not heard it over the loud music they usually play, although she had repeatedly told them that they should keep one of the phones (there were three in the house, all of which were portable) by them in case of emergencies. She took a swig of her beer and tried to ignore it as she picked up one of her motorbike magazines, but the flashing red light at the corner of her sight coupled with the silence soon began to irritate her.

Natsuki tossed the magazine down in displeasure and went to hit the 'play' button, leaning against the wall as she listened to her messages. Her eyes rolled disapprovingly as the voice of a salesman chirped from the machine and she hit 'delete' without a second thought, cutting off his assurances of cheaper broadband.

"Message deleted. You have TWO new messages remaining. Message ONE."

"Hi Natsuki, it's Kimihara. I haven't heard from you and we were wondering whether you were alright. I know you're still upset about the case, but if I could have saved him, I hope you know that I would have without a moment's hesitation… I guess you still won't come back to us, eh?" Kimihara's voice was regretful and worried, but she could still feel hope in it. Then it changed into something much more upbeat. "Anyway, we're having a barbeque this Saturday with some friends and the boss is insisting that you should come; you know what my wife is like when she gets something in her mind, so you can't back out or she'll be slapping my handcuffs on you and dragging you here. You can bring Alyssa-chan and her friend if they want to come… or are they off on their wild adventure already? Call me back as soon as you can and I'll see you this weekend!"

The blue haired woman was smiling before the message had even ended; she had been worried that she might have quit her boss's friendship when she had quit her job, but this message showed that wasn't the case. She would phone him after the next message and she would enjoy herself at that barbeque in good company. She really had missed Kimihara,

"Message TWO."

"Are you there Kuga, or are you really not at home? If you're just ignoring me then I'm _really_ hurt," Natsuki wasn't able breathe as the sly feminine voice gave a low throaty chuckle. Why was _she_ calling? After all these years, what could she possibly have to say to her _now_? Her hand curled up into a fist.

"Calm down, I know you're about to have a temper tantrum, but this is strictly business… unless _want_ it to be more than that." Another chortle. "I heard that you have finally quit the police force. Somehow I knew that you would never stick it out to retirement age because the system is too dirty for you. It always made me laugh how bad, _bad_ Kuga was actually a budding idealist. I suppose you're looking for a desk-job now… in fact, I'll even wager you had an interview today. They'll offer the job to you of course; you're smart, quick and devastatingly efficient despite your anger issues. Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. But are you really going to take it? Even the police didn't contain enough action for you when it wasn't insulting your moral high ground. But I have a proposition for you and I think you'll like it. Meet me at our spot tonight at eight o'clock. Don't be too late."

Natsuki ground her teeth as her glare threatened to set the answering machine on fire. She was furious. Hearing that voice re-opened wounds that weren't allowed to heal right in the first place and she could acutely feel all of the pain and rage that should have left her a long time ago. She should just delete that message, or phone her back and tell her to go to hell. But at the same time her curiosity had been sparked and this may be the chance to get rid of the skeletons in her closet, so to speak. So...

She glanced at the clock. Four and a half hours until eight o'clock. Four and a half hours until she had a meeting with the past.

"End of messages."

* * * * *

**Present Day…**

Youko sighed and rubbed her tired eyes, blocking her view of the word-filled computer screen sitting complacently in front of her. She had always found writing reports boring unless it was a particularly interesting subject, but unfortunately today was not one of her days. She stood up and lumbered over to the coffee machine by the window, her gaze wandering outside as the brown liquid oozed into the cup.

'Fuuka's mAdhoUsE for CRazY AssEd BiTCheS' had originally read 'Fuuka's Mental Institution for Young Women' before some wise guy with a can of spray paint and lack of respect had altered it. The doctor and several others had requested the head of the institute for a new one, but it appeared that she was 'too busy' to spare a couple of minutes to make one phone call.

"Pfft, too busy my arse," Youko muttered. "She means she's too busy planning her holidays to the Mediterranean and cheating on her husband with that young security guard that she regularly screws on her desk. God knows why he hasn't left her by now; it's not like she keeps it a secret."

She grabbed the coffee and left her office, striding down the corridor towards the security door that kept the inmates within their area. She held her card against the panel and watched the red light turned green as the clunk of the door unlocking echoed through the hallway. She tugged it open and marched into the realm of the insane.

As always, the sounds of yelling and excited shrieks reached her ears as she paced towards the first of the five doors available to her. The five doors respectively lead to the canteen, a toilet, the corridor where the patients' rooms of the ward were allocated and two recreational rooms. Youko entered the smaller recreational room to find that one of the nurses was sitting inside with several of the patients.

Tokiha Mai was one of the favourite staff members amongst many with her motherly nature and caring smile, especially since she was an attractive woman who looked younger than her age of twenty-five. She was easily recognised by her shocking orange hair and well-endowed physique which was currently being snuggled into by the young woman with black hair who sat beside her on the couch.

The patient was often seen attached to Mai one way or another and was primarily called Minagi Mikoto, but her other personas had different names. Kai was the seven-year old girl that needed constant attention and vast quantities of food; Ichi was the wise middle-aged warrior who was overly protective of Mai and Neko was the demonically violent creature that luckily didn't arise very often. It appeared that it was Kai who was currently in control of Mikoto's body.

Yukino approached the pair when Mai smiled brightly at her, noticing Sister Sanada Yukariko kneeling by the window as her lips moved rapidly, most likely muttering a prayer. The nun had been forced into the institution after she took redemption her sins a step too far and flogged herself to an almost critical state after wearing a metal cilice around her thigh for a number of days. Youko had some success with her as she had managed to get Sister Yukariko to confess the source of her corporal mortification; she had fallen in love with a man who often came to her church to sketch the interior architecture and her feelings had provoked her to remember the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her step-father when she was barely a teenager.

"How are they?"

"Fine," Mai replied before lowering her voice, "Kuga-san is much better now. She has calmed down a lot."

"I'm glad," she expressed with a smile, feeling the green eyes glowering at her before she saw them.

Natsuki was sitting at a small table in the corner of the room with her arms bound and forced to cross her chest by the straight jacket she wore. The material was slightly stained with blood as she had tried to draw another symbol as soon as she had thought that nobody was watching her, therefore re-opening her wounds by biting through the skin of her wrists.

When the tough white material had first constricted her all she had felt was anger and desperation, but it had settled into the emptiness she had grew accustomed to. Had she played along with Youko's games and told the good doctor how she was feeling, she would have likened herself to a can of butane if she was feeling particularly creative; cool, contained and waiting the faintest flicker of flame to explode. And she instinctively knew that flame was coming.

_And I would liken myself to a sunny day at the beach; fun, trippendicular and totally hot!_

Natsuki ignored Hikari as she ran her tongue thoughtfully over her teeth, the only appendage her mouth had access to.

_Ugh! Barf me out, you so totally can't be serious! I know what you're thinking babe, but biting through you're tongue so you can, like, draw a new symbol is grody to the max!_

'_There is no other way,'_ Natsuki thought _'And start speaking in Japanese, all this Valley girl crap is starting to piss me off."_

_Valspeak, babe, Valspeak! It's, like, the best way to talk!_

'_Whatever.'_

_Tubular! Now you're getting it! All you need to do is change the pitch slightly and then you'd sound way-_

"Hello Kuga-san. How are you today?" Youko greeted, unknowingly cutting into Hikari's rant. Natsuki was almost grateful to see her, but still answered the psychiatrist with a cold glare. The smile that was on Youko's face wavered slightly when their eyes met, but found some comfort in the fact that she had a response at all. Throughout all of their interactions Natsuki had ignored her by either growling at someone else or staring at a point behind her head.

She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward so that she was closer to Natsuki, but had enough space to recognise and react to danger if the patient decided to lash out. The insane woman automatically tilted her head back slightly to keep eye contact although she wasn't really interested in what the psychiatrist had to say.

"You know Kuga-san, your sister really wants to see you," Youko spoke in a low voice, "But relatives aren't allowed to visit until their loved one has made some improvements. If you start talking to me then hopefully I could allow Alyssa to visit soon, which would be nice for both of you, hmm?"

Youko's confidence in the strength of Natsuki's ties to her sister began to falter when there was no change to the cold mask she was wearing. She straightened up and brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face, feeling incredibly awkward underneath the blank gaze. She was saved from any further indignation however when a familiar cry penetrated the room.

"Justice shall prevail! Now stand still before we all- Aaaggghhhhh!" The chorus of shrill squawks was accompanied by a loud crash that reverberated through the walls.

Youko frowned and before she knew it she was hurrying out of the door, only pausing to promise Natsuki that they would have a meeting later and to send a nod Mai's way. She swept down the hallway to the other recreational room, muttering curses of her career choice and idle wishes of a peaceful life. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the sight that greeted her when she rounded the corner.

A woman with blazing red hair and white doctor's jacket was on the floor as she wrestled with a pair of young women that were both wearing blue pyjamas. The red head had her arms wrapped around the squirming charcoal-haired woman's legs, rendering her defenceless against the brunette who tugged at her clothes and hair in efforts to free her trapped companion. Nearby was a bookcase that was lying face-down on the floor, surrounded by the books that had not-so-graciously departed their shelves during the recent fall.

A simple clearing of the throat from Youko was all it took for the fighting to stop. The women froze and turned their heads slowly towards the doorway, fear etched on their faces as they saw the omnipotent being that could install fear into Satan himself if he were to cross her while she was in a bad mood. But then the red head did something that was completely in her character; a cheery smile enveloped her face as she blatantly ignored the possible danger she was in.

"Youko! Help me before they get away!"

"_Doctor_ Sugiura, release Chie-san," Youko commanded in a deathly calm voice. The cheerful woman's face fell into a frown.

"Wh-what? But I-."

"_Now." _

The red head slowly let go, allowing Chie to scuttle away from her and leap onto her feet, quickly joined by her partner in crime Aoi as she had scrambled off the doctor's back. Before they could run off however, they were stopped by sharp blue eyes and a cautioning finger-point.

"Go straight to the cafeteria and wait for me there. If I catch you anywhere else, you get no ice-cream for a week," she warned. Aoi gave a mock salute as Chie winked and blew a kiss at her before they both scampered off. Youko sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she watched them go.

The pair had been undercover reporters in a warring nation who had suffered heavy trauma when they were caught by the enemy military. They were saved as soon as possible, but a few months later they were caught trying to rob a bank, which wasn't only out of the ordinary for their characters but Chie was insisting that she had strange new powers that persuade the fairer sex into doing anything, while Aoi was convinced she could turn people into sporks. They were both sent to the institution when they tried these techniques on the female judge who was holding the court for their robbery.

"Why can't I handle them like that?" Midori questioned with a frown, now on her feet and rearranging her ponytail that had fallen into disarray during the scuffle. Youko lightly smacked her in the stomach and put a hand on her hip, answering the yelp with the narrowing of her eyes. Midori rubbed her stomach and pouted. "What was that for?"

"For such a smart person you can be a complete idiot," the burgundy haired doctor replied irately. "What did you think wrestling with patients on top of a bookcase is going to achieve? Someone could have gotten hurt and by acting foolishly like that you're only hindering any progress they're making."

Midori was silent as she stared at the taller woman with contemplative eyes.

"...You look really pretty when you're angry. Your eyes just kinda flare up into this wonderful burning sapphire colour and-."

"Midori! Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"Yes… You called me smart," the red head answered with a proud grin. Youko shook her head and gave an irritated sigh.

"There's no point in talking to you when you're like this. I'll come back when you can have a _sensible_ conversation as an _adult_; if I wanted to talk to a _child_ then I would have gone into paediatric psychiatry," she griped as she turned to walk out the door. Midori's smile vanished into a look of panic and she pounced forwards to catch the other doctor's arm in a gentle grasp, stopping her before she walked out.

"Wait! I'm sorry, you're right; I was being a knuckle-headed idiot when I climbed up the bookcase after Chie-chan and Aoi-chan, and even when I saw that you were upset with me I fell back on that wit that used to drive our teachers up the wall. Do you forgive me?" the shorter doctor sincerely apologized.

Youko carefully studied the mature expression on Midori's face, knowing that the red head truly regretted her actions; Midori only ever appeared serious if she considered something to be urgently important. The burgundy haired woman placed a butterfly kiss on the end of the other woman's nose before giving her a wicked smile.

"I suppose I could forgive you... if you make it up to me," she whispered in a quiet yet voice so that no nearby patients or staff could hear her. Opportunities like these didn't come often, so why not milk it for all it's worth? Midori returned a similar albeit goofier grin.

"How about I treat you to dinner tonight at our favourite restaurant, and I'm not talking about Pizza Hut, then we can head out to where I took you on our first date for a moonlight stroll. Would that put me into the good books?"

"Mmm, sounds good so far, but I think you're falling a bit short," Youko returned teasingly, although a warm smile appeared on her face when she heard where they would be going after dinner. The waterfall wasn't anything that could be considered grand and was mostly overlooked by tourists in favour of more exciting prospects, but when she was there with Midori it became the most beautiful place on Earth and held a special place within her heart.

"You want more?" the olive eyed woman declared in mock-surprise. She put her thinking expression on her face as she wound her arms around Youko's waist and pulled her close. "Then how about a bit of 'stress-relief' in my office? Think about it... You... Me... And a six pack of beer currently keeping cool in the fridge. I can even throw in a massage considering all the work you've been putting in lately."

"How can I refuse an offer like that?" Youko purred, "Congratulations, you are officially out of the dog house. How would you like to celebrate this turn of events?"

"Come to my office in ten minutes and you'll find out," Midori whispered huskily in her ear, causing the taller woman to shiver as she blew into it. She slipped away from her, only pausing to give Youko a saucy wink before she ran out of the room cackling loudly. "SSSSCCOOOOORRRRRRE!"

Youko felt her cheeks look pink as she gained a few amused glances and silently fumed towards the direction she had last seen her wife. Then she shrugged and gave an accepting smile; Midori will be Midori and she wouldn't change her for the world.

She took a sip of her coffee that she was still holding in her hand and grimaced as she spat it back in the cup. It had gone cold.

* * * * *

Natsuki's gaze was pointed at the table before her, not really interested in what was happening outside or inside the room. The table was a metallic slate grey and was unmarred with the exception of a deep groove about half a centimetre wide that ran most of the width of its surface.

She blinked as a spot of black liquid appeared in the groove followed by another before more appeared and joined up until it could be called a steady trickle of whatever it was. She watched as it was channelled by the groove and began to push its way towards her as if it were a living creature with a will of its own.

An uneasy feeling began to settle in the pit of her stomach but she found that she couldn't move even if she wanted to. When the oil-like substance was almost a hand-length away it began to twist and rise from the groove, appearing much like a tentacle as passed uncomfortably close to Natsuki's nose as it continued its ascension towards the ceiling.

The dark head tilted back of its own accord as green eyes followed its winding passage and watched as it plunged into the ceiling. It continued to wiggle about for a few moments in between its two anchors before it became taut with such speed that if it had been rope there would have been an audible crack. The liquid changed direction of its rotation and seemed to be heading back towards the ground, but it had not yet been released from its rigid form.

Natsuki's brows furrowed slightly as the area around the embedded end of the liquid rope began to deform and stretch like elastic as it appeared that something was wriggling below the surface of the plaster. It took a moment to register that the 'something' had the shape of an androgynous human body and Natsuki felt a grotesque fascination as its face pushed forwards, revealing that the column of liquid was clamped within its mouth as she could feel its hollow eyes fixed on her.

"Kuuuugaaaa. Kuuuuugaaaaa," it rasped as teeth and lips visibly grinded against its barrier. The hairs on the back of Natsuki's neck prickled and stood on end while her senses screamed at her to run, but she was fixed in place. The sensation of not being in control of her movement was almost as horrifyingly strange as the scene in front of her; it was like witnessing something through someone else's eyes, screaming at them to move as the danger got stronger and stronger without them being able to hear you, but worse.

Without warning the base of the column snapped away from the table and twisted its way around her throat, trapping the breath that was leaving her lungs as it abruptly clamped down on her. She observed through her muted inner struggle that it had solidified from a liquid to a slick, cable-like muscle and right now it was choking the life out of her.

Above her the asexual being had managed to start tearing its way through the ceiling as huge white clumps rained down on her and flashes of red raw skin could be seen. Then its head broke through; its yellow cracked skin seeped with blood that was so dark it verged on black and gaping holes presided where the eyes were meant to be. By now Natsuki's vision was blurred and the room seemed to be spinning around her, but none the less she recognised with a shudder that she was being strangled by this nightmare creature's tongue.

"Kuuuuuuugaaaaaaaaa."

Her eyes somehow managed to wrench off of the vision and pointed them towards the door. There stood a woman with a curvaceous figure and wavy hair that straddled the line between dark blonde and light brown. Her own eyes widened as they met the crimson orbs that were built into an angelically beautiful face and she would have gasped if oxygen had been allowed to pass through too her lungs.

'_Don't I know you?'_

The woman smiled at her and Natsuki knew that she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't ask her who the mysterious woman was or where she'd seen her before. She couldn't even cry out for help, even when the world started to fade to black.

'_Why won't you help me? Can't you see what it's doing to me? Why?' _she thought as she pleaded with her eyes for help. Emotions that hadn't been felt in a long time surfaced and memories that were locked securely in her mind somehow broke free. She stared at the woman with more horror than she felt towards the thing that was strangling her.

'_...No, it can't be... It's... It's you.'_

* * * * *

"-is she?"

"She's doing-... –king up soon."

"Does anyone-... -why she-..."

"No. But-... –said that she was staring at-... -out."

"Her eyes-... fluttering-... –waking up?"

A bright light pierced her eyes as she opened them a crack, causing her to wince. A soft groan rumbled from her chest, making her completely aware of the pain she felt as her throat ached and her head felt like it had a collision with a sledge hammer. The hard mattress underneath her told her that she was lying on the bed and the heavy smell of disinfectant correctly suggested that she was in the medical office of the institution.

"Kuga-san? How are you feeling?"

"Red..."

"Excuse me?" Youko was leaning over her, her brow knitted in confusion. Natsuki blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the blurry vision of her newly opened eyes.

"They were red..."

"What was?"

"I... I can't remember."

**Omake **(I forgot this, LOL)

Natsuki: What the hell?! You take so long to update and you come up with this crap? What have you been smoking?

Revalis: Nothing, unfortunately; at least then I'd have a decent excuse. *Sighs.*

Shizuru: Excuse me Revalis-san, but when you said I'd be in this chapter I expected more than a couple of paragraphs. And why was my Natsuki scared of me? *Eyes harden.* You had better not be trying to separate us.

Revalis: *Winces.* Err... Shizuru, when I tell you this, please remember that I adore you and that I'm a ShizNat fan. This... isn't a fluffy, happy story and it's not going to pan out how things in this fandom usually go. The chances are it's not going to have a happy ending.

Shizuru: So I'm not going to be with my Natsuki? *Dark aura surrounds her.*

Revalis: *Laughs uneasily.* Now I didn't say that.

Shizuru: Hmm... *Aura lessens.*

Nao: Oi! Who cares about that? You said I'd be in it! So where am I? Huh? HUH?

Revalis: Chill out Yuuki, this didn't turn out quite as I wanted it to, but... *Whispers in Nao's ear.*

Nao: ...I'M WHAT?!

Hikari: *Smoking a joint and is obviously high.* Yeah, this is one trippendicular adventure! Now if only the author-chick can actually get this ship to where she wants to go! *Starts singing.* Row, row, row your boat, harshly up the stream, when life sends you crashing down, don't forget to scream. !

Natsuki: OW! Don't do that! That's my head you're screaming in!

Hikari: *Giggles.* Whoops, sorry. Just thought I'd get an early start.

Natsuki: What?

Hikari: You'll see. :3


End file.
